US Seizes Iranian Oil Ship, CENTCOM Levels Media Narrative About Blockade

The U.S. forces seized another ship carrying Iranian oil overnight that was trying to operate against sanctions.

Overnight, U.S. forces carried out a maritime interdiction and right-of-visit boarding of the sanctioned stateless vessel M/T Majestic X transporting oil from Iran, in the Indian Ocean within the INDOPACOM area of responsibility.

We will continue global maritime enforcement to… pic.twitter.com/SWF6Jt9Ci4
— Department of War 🇺🇸 (@DeptofWar) April 23, 2026

Overnight, U.S. forces carried out a maritime interdiction and right-of-visit boarding of the sanctioned stateless vessel M/T Majestic X transporting oil from Iran, in the Indian Ocean within the INDOPACOM area of responsibility.
We will continue global maritime enforcement to disrupt illicit networks and interdict vessels providing material support to Iran, wherever they operate.
International waters cannot be used as a shield by sanctioned actors. The Department of War will continue to deny illicit actors and their vessels freedom of maneuver in the maritime domain.

The ship was flying the flag of Guyana without their approval, trying to fool people. U.S. forces were not fooled. The ship has a past history of smuggling oil against the US. sanctions. It was reportedly bound for China.

This showed the follow-through on that report that President Donald Trump was going to extend the reach to be everywhere, not just near the Strait of Hormuz and Iran.

Iran Claims It Fired on and Seized Ships - but There's More to the Story

CENTCOM also shot down media narratives being pushed about the regime evading the blockade.

U.S. forces have directed 29 vessels to turn around or return to port as part of the U.S. blockade against Iran.

Over past 24 hours, media reports have alleged that several commercial ships evaded the blockade, citing M/V Hero II, M/V Hedy, and M/V Dorena as examples. These… pic.twitter.com/SKelkSOr77
— U.S. Central Command (@CENTCOM) April 22, 2026

U.S. forces have directed 29 vessels to turn around or return to port as part of the U.S. blockade against Iran.
Over past 24 hours, media reports have alleged that several commercial ships evaded the blockade, citing M/V Hero II, M/V Hedy, and M/V Dorena as examples. These reports are inaccurate.
Hero II and Hedy did not sail past the blockade as part of a flotilla that “ferried” millions of barrels of oil to the market. In fact, the Iranian-flagged tankers are anchored in Chah Bahar, Iran, after being intercepted by U.S. forces earlier this week. Dorena has been under the escort of a U.S. Navy destroyer in the Indian Ocean after previously attempting to violate the blockade.
The U.S. military has global reach. American forces are operating and enforcing the blockade across the Middle East and beyond.

Part of the problem is that the media is just pushing anything against the Trump administration. They just can't stop, even if, in spreading false information, it might help the Iranian regime or hurt the U.S. military.

But it's also a failure to understand the nature of the blockade. It's being applied to ships going to or coming from Iranian ports, not other ships. And if a ship gets through the Strait, it doesn't mean that the U.S. isn't going to interdict it or seize it further along, such as in the Gulf of Oman. The U.S. ships aren't sitting in the middle of the Strait, blocking things. They're in the Gulf of Oman, the Arabian Sea, and elsewhere. So they avoid being a high-risk target, which they would be if they were just sitting in the Strait.

The military has been pulling off an excellent operation, whether the media wants to acknowledge it or not.

Editor's Note: For decades, former presidents have been all talk and no action. Now, Donald Trump is eliminating the threat from Iran once and for all.

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